It is also rolling out a device for tapless ordering for top customers, whose data history of preferences is available with them. With this device, customers won’t need to open the app.Shonali Advani | ET Bureau | August 24, 2015, 08:27 IST

Sharma joins this week after a year’s stint with Times Internet* that had acquired Langhar last year, and will be instrumental in ramping up the company’s backend technology as it expands operations to newer cities.

“The food sector is a big one to focus on and my experience with the home-chef model can be accommodated at Yumist’s full-stack model. This model has more chances of success as the quality can be maintained at a central kitchen,” said Sharma who will be based at the company’s headquarters in Gurgaon.

Sharma will be responsible for increasing the technology team to 50 members in six months to a year, and build on the existing platform for healthier margins and delivery time. Currently, Yumist has a delivery time of 21 minutes. “Logistics can be optimised and made profitable with use of technology,” said Sharma.

Also on the logistics side, the company is building a 100% data free app for its delivery boys keeping in mind their limitations around technology adoption. Developments for this are mostly underway and Sharma will be instrumental in solving the rest to roll this out too.

“Challenges in India are different. It’s all about building things from ground up,” said Jain. On the customer side, its app is available to Android users and will be on iOS and Windows by September.

It is also rolling out a device for tapless ordering for top customers, whose data history of preferences is available with them. With this device, customers won’t need to open the app.

Launched in November last year by former CMO of Zomato Alok Jain, Yumist works on a hub and spoke model. Food is prepared at a central kitchen in Gurgaon and gets distributed to fulfillment centers from where it’s dispatched for delivery.

“Technology is a huge piece for us in order to do justice to food costs without cutting corners. We needed a guy who has been there, done that in the space. Pankaj was a right fit because he’s seen the perils of the marketplace model and understands the merits of a fullstack model,” said Jain.

This month, it opened operations in Bengaluru and will spread to five more cities by March next. Yumist is backed by Orios Venture Partners that invested Rs 6.2 crore in the company in February.

(Disclosure: Times Internet is owned by the same group that publishes ET)